I have had many positive educational experiences, but on I remember one very clearly and feel it had a great impact on my school experience. In my 8th grade , my basic intelligence landed me in a level, yes we had levels in those days, with a group of highly motivated students, I could hold my own most of the time but had a problem with reading for understanding I think a lot of it had to do with my lack of practice. My Social Studies teacher took me aside, tried to understand why I had a problem with reading and gave me a series of books from his private library which was slightly below my grade level to help get me up to speed. The books coupled with the attention given helped me improve by leaps and bounds and by the end of the year I was at grade level with a new appreciation for this skill
This teacher had all types of tools to make us better students. He told us at the start of the year that he would brain wash the class. We as a class felt this could never happen and went about the business of learning American history. We learned about all the issues he felt students of the day should know in the study of Us History. During the course of the year we discussed all of the presidents, and we were told that the most noteworthy was James K Polk, he gave us many examples and it was common when asked, who was the best President the class would all agree that it had to be Polk. The reader can guess what came next; at the end of the school year he proudly reported to the class that his brain washing experiment was successful. We as experts in American History disagreed. The teacher with a big smile on his face simply said James K Polk, not only was he not the best President ever, but as far as accomplishments he was way down the list. We learned a valuable lesson that day and it must have had a great impact on me to remember it some 48 years later. I recently had dinner with members of my Jr. High class and this teacher was remembered and everyone had a different story of how he made a difference.
Mr. Farley was one of those teachers that impacted thousands of city kids and helped us appreciate education and all it can do to benefit our lives as well as society as a whole.
This teacher had all types of tools to make us better students. He told us at the start of the year that he would brain wash the class. We as a class felt this could never happen and went about the business of learning American history. We learned about all the issues he felt students of the day should know in the study of Us History. During the course of the year we discussed all of the presidents, and we were told that the most noteworthy was James K Polk, he gave us many examples and it was common when asked, who was the best President the class would all agree that it had to be Polk. The reader can guess what came next; at the end of the school year he proudly reported to the class that his brain washing experiment was successful. We as experts in American History disagreed. The teacher with a big smile on his face simply said James K Polk, not only was he not the best President ever, but as far as accomplishments he was way down the list. We learned a valuable lesson that day and it must have had a great impact on me to remember it some 48 years later. I recently had dinner with members of my Jr. High class and this teacher was remembered and everyone had a different story of how he made a difference.
Mr. Farley was one of those teachers that impacted thousands of city kids and helped us appreciate education and all it can do to benefit our lives as well as society as a whole.
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